The Basics

Research papers are generally longer pieces of written work than essays. Writing a research paper involves all of the steps for writing an essay plus some additional ones.

To write a research paper you must first do some research, that is, investigate your topic by reading about it in many different sources, including books, magazines, newspapers, and the Internet. In some cases you may also conduct interviews. The information you gather from these sources is then used to support the points you make in your paper.

Writing a research paper also involves documenting your sources of information in footnotes or endnotes. This way the reader knows where you got your information and can judge whether it is reliable.

Here are the steps to follow when writing a research paper. Click on the links to the right to read more and see examples of successful papers.

Pick Your Topic

Writing will be easier if the subject matter is of interest to you, and try to be as specific as possible.

Find Your Sources

Books, magazines, internet articles--there are a wealth of places to find information about your topic; make sure your sources are reliable and diverse.